Over the years, engineers have been challenged to devise a number of different solutions toward the goal of a cleaner burning engine, such as, for example, a diesel engine. Experience has taught that various injection timings, quantities, and rates have a variety of different desirable results over the complete operating range of a given engine. Therefore, fuel injection systems with a variety of different capabilities can generally out-perform fuel injection systems with narrower capability ranges, at least in their ability to reduce undesirable emissions. For instance, the leap from cam control to electronic control in fuel injection systems has permitted substantially lower emissions in several categories, including but not limited to NOx, hydrocarbons, and smoke.
One area that appears to show promise in reducing undesirable emissions is often referred to as homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI). In an HCCI engine, fuel is injected early in the compression stroke to permit thorough mixing with cylinder air, to ideally form a lean homogeneously mixed charge before conditions in the cylinder cause auto-ignition. Engines operating in an HCCI mode have shown relatively low outputs of undesirable emissions. Although an HCCI strategy appears promising, it is not without drawbacks. For instance, HCCI can cause extremely high cylinder pressure rise rates and force loads, rendering it most desirable at the lower half of the engine's operating range. Also, it may be difficult to control ignition timing in engines operating with an HCCI strategy. Thus, at this time, a pure HCCI strategy is not viable for most commercial engine applications with conventional power density requirements.
This limitation of HCCI has been addressed in the art by equipping an engine with an HCCI fuel injection system and a conventional fuel injection system. For instance, such a dual system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,743 to Dickey. Although such a dual system appears viable, the high expense and complexity brought by two complete injection systems renders it commercially challenged. A single fuel injector is generally not compatible with performing both HCCI and conventional injections because different spray patterns are often desirable and sometimes necessitated. Providing a structure in a single fuel injector that is capable of injecting fuel in two different spray patterns, while maintaining the ability to mass produce the fuel injector and retain consistent results, has been problematic and elusive.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the shortcomings set forth above.